Green Season

Easy Greens

People look at green drinks with bewilderment.  They just look strange if you're not used to them.  I love getting in 2 big handfuls of spinach in the morning! Keeps me on track for the rest of the day.  

My usual green drink is easy to make and doesn't taste as it looks.  However, yesterday morning I added two drops of an orange essential oil that made me really happy!  It was like a summer creamsicle in my blender! 

Here you go:

Green Creamsicle

1 cup coconut water
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 banana
5 icecubes
1-2 drops of orange essential oil

Put into blender.
Blend until smooth.
Enjoy!

If you need any vanilla or chocolate protein powder, I have some extra as I over-ordered!  Message me if you're interested.  Also, if you need some essential orange oil, let me know.  It is not an expensive investment to make this drink for yourself in this stressful month.  Keeps you running without caffeine!  Don't get me wrong, my coffee is part of my routine too!

 Protein packed Green Creamsicle

Enjoy,

Krista

Penne with Vodka Sauce

Pasta Night

I know a lot of you already have a recipe for this, so if you want to pass yours along to the rest of us, please do!  I never make this but thought we needed something quick and easy tonight as the Cowboys are playing at 8:25 pm.  That means my dear husband, who unfortunately is a Cowboys fan (lol!), will be bringing out his winter beers and setting up in the family room.  I'd like to be out of the kitchen/family room to escape his loud clapping!!! 

Ok, I digress but since starting this week's recipe blog, I have felt a bit more organized, but the December schedule is really busy on all fronts.  Everyone is being pulled in all directions so at least if we have a meal to eat together, it helps us connect.  Most of the time the humor is sarcastic from the kids, but we have a good laugh and all is well.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

16 ounces uncooked penne pasta
2 tablespoons of butter
1 1/3 cups finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
8 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 cup reduced fat milk
2/3 cup vodka
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons finely chopped basil

1. Cook pasta according to directions, omitting salt and butter.  Drain.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, cover and cook 3 minutes or until tender. Add tomato sauce, simmer, partially covered, 8 minutes or until thick.  Combine flour and water, stirring with a whisk until smooth.  Add flour mixture to the pan, cook 1 minute.  Add half-and-half, milk, vodka, salt, and pepper, bring to a boil.  Stir in cheese.  Reduce heat to low, cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently.  Add pasta, toss to coat.  Sprinkle with basil.  

Makes 8 servings that are 1 1/3  cups each.

This was really good in my opinion ... not as much butter as some recipes I've seen.  Of course there's half and half, milk and parm cheese!  All I can say is eat a great salad with this to keep your belly happy.  Use the best quality products you can find.  And enjoy it.  Once in awhile you can have a nice vodka sauce!  Especially if you make it!  The best part of my dinner tonight was my daughter helped me.  She cranked her 1D music and we measured, stirred and tasted.  She handled the kitchen while I ran out to get my daughter from practice.  Yay!  Help!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!
Krista

 Our Giants/Cowboys rivalry last year! 

Chicken and Apples in the Crock

'Tis the season for easy recipes!

Because I picked up a whole chicken yesterday and actually had apple cider in my fridge, this was a no-brainer.  Love my crock pot, especially right now.  The rainy day made it even better.

This recipe calls for 6 boneless chicken breasts so I wasn't sure if the whole chicken thing would work.  But I knew I had to use it otherwise I had to freeze it and it's no fun when you have to defrost.  So I gave it a go, adding some cinnamon and brown sugar to the original recipe.

Chicken and Apples in the Crock

Ingredients:
1 cup apple cider
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 whole chicken or 6 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
3 Granny Smith apples, cored and thickly sliced
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1. In a small bowl, combine apple cider, vinegar, nutmeg, cinnamon and curry powder.
2. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine butter, onions and garlic.  Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes until onion is softened.  Place mixture in bottom of slow cooker.
3. Place chicken into slow cooker, basting with the juice to coat all sides of it.  Pour remaining mixture over the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours until chicken is tender.  
5. Remove about a cup of the liquid from the cooker to a small bowl.  Add the 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar and mix until dissolved.  
6. Add apples along with the brown sugar mixture and cook 40-50 minutes longer or until apples are tender.
7. Mix together 1/3 cup juices from the crock and 1 T cornstarch in a small bowl.  Stir back into the crockpot.  Cover and cook on high, until sauce is thickened and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes.  

**Note on the whole chicken:  if you want to save even more time, use the boneless chicken breasts.  Although the chicken was amazingly tender, you do have to deal with the bones and separating the meat.  I do love having leftovers from the whole chicken to make soup with the next day.

 Found brussel sprouts at the store that were already sliced and ready to throw in a pan with some olive oil, garlic and parmesan cheese.  Was so easy and really good. 

Sometimes just walking in your house and smelling this awesome meal makes everyone happy.  The investment in a few minutes of prep and planning is huge!!!  Not just for the fam ... but for you. Once it's started, it is off that nagging list in your head.

Done!

Back to Christmas shopping!

Happy Eating,
Krista

Taco Salad Tuesday!!!

I know it sounds like I'm way too excited for taco salad as I used three exclamation points in the title. 

If you didn't see my post from yesterday, I'll sum it up for you in a few words:  I don't like to cook. 

Some days I despise cooking, however when it's done and the family is pumped to hear "Raspberry Chicken" night, I cannot surrender to take out.  It makes it worth it!

The other reason I cook is of course because garbage in equals garbage out.  I haven't been making too many salads lately and my daughter came home from school and made her own salad ... that's huge for her!  So I realize they do crave some good stuff after all.

Ok, so I started last night with my famous raspberry chicken.  I will post that another night (although it is up a few times on the blog from other posts).  But tonight I took out an old Cooking Light cookbook and tweaked a recipe that was so easy and reminded me of a burrito bowl at Chipotle.  It's versatile enough for my picky family and can easily use leftover chicken instead of beef.

Taco Salad

Best to assemble ingredients ahead of time and then just throw all together.  Add or delete what ingredients your family might like.  I put some guacamole on the side, didn't have tomatoes, and put the beans in a separate bowl so my kids didn't complain.  Next time I think I'll add some shredded carrots just for some added color or add some sweet bell peppers to the mix.

1 pound of ground sirloin (grass fed if possible)
1 taco seasoning package
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup salsa
8 cups shredded lettuce (I chose organic prewashed romaine)
4 cups of broken tortilla chips
2 cups fresh tomatoes, drained
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 (15 oz) can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives

1. Cook beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble.  Stir in taco seasoning and water.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Combine sour cream and salsa in a small bowl.
3. Combine beef mixture, lettuce, tortilla chips, tomatoes, 1/2 cup cheese, and beans in a large bowl.  Drizzle sour cream mixture over the salad and toss gently.  Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and top with olives.  Serve immediately.

Makes about 8 servings that are 2 cups each.

 Tossed Taco Salad ... minus beans and tomatoes!

Oh, and those 3 exclamation points up there in the title?  When I was in college, the dining hall at James Madison University had taco salad on Thursdays.  It was the best day of the week in our opinion!

Hope this inspires some of you to make dinner tomorrow night ... so easy and everyone was happy. Just make up your mind for dinner to be an investment in your family :)

Happy Eating,
Krista

New Season ... New Thinking

Happy December Everyone!

I have been away from writing for a few months and I really do miss it!

Here's the thing ... I almost always write about food.  Whether it be menu planning, healthy ideas, easy meals, time saving strategies, it's always about food.

I have to be honest here ...  I really do not like to cook.  There ... I said it.

I hate cooking.  Even better.

I hate shopping, prepping, cooking (which often results in me burning the meal), and cleaning up.  I've kinda slipped back to winging it many nights.  And it's been ok, we've somehow managed to eat every night.

I have so many other things I LOVE to do.  I'm in love with looking through the lens of my camera to see things in a simple, efficient, creative way.  I get lost in time just shooting a sunset - which is usually why I burn dinner.

Cooking is a chore to me that I know needs top priority as my active family needs to refuel after all those practices and games.  It's just not my favorite thing to do.  But I feel the difference when I don't eat well.  I can't imagine putting out all the energy they do almost every single day and not eating well.

So what I thought I would do, is for the month of December, I will be posting a recipe 4 nights each week to keep me on track.  If anyone wants to join along they can just jump in.

I also have a new website that I'd love to post these recipes on.  Click here to check it out:  Refuel Your Game.  I'll continue to post the blogs on fb as well ... tomorrow night will be the first recipe.  I guess I need to dust off the binder of good meals. 

One last thought ... we had a great Thanksgiving weekend!  A big thank you to my sister and her husband for hosting, my mom for making a fantastic turkey and my nephews for entertaining us at the dinner table.  So much to be grateful for!  Then there's the soccer tournament weekend.  It's been a really busy fall that just keeps going.  After another weekend away, my husband says to me ... "Remember when our biggest decision was what poem we would read to the girls at night before bedtime?  There was no worry over what college to consider, the logistics of being away for tournaments, if we could schedule any hours for Hannah to drive with her instructor, how to get to the chiropractor when there's no time?  I'm going to get that book "A Pizza the Size of the Sun" and read it to them tonight!"

And he did.  The giggles and cozying up were priceless.  They were so happy.  And that is how we ended our 4 day weekend.  I'm terribly blessed and ready to take December in stride.

Much Joy,
Krista

Thanksgiving!

Oh and if you love photography and want to see what I've been up to (no soccer shots I swear!) follow me on Instagram at kdn3. 

Wondering What I "Should" Be Doing Right Now ...

Ok, so my lack of blogs and information sharing is starting to get to me lately.   Why can’t I sit myself down and just get all those easy recipes out there or maybe some new tool I found to make your life easier?

Simple I guess ... seasonal summer brain.
I love lazy and carefree days.

And I am seriously off schedule.  As much as I try to get up and follow the routine that is in my head, I just love to wander off and explore other stuff.  Like what flowers are blooming today in my garden, or what flower wants to be photographed, or maybe if the hummingbird found that feeder yet?  I am probably attention deficit as I'm getting older.  So hard for me to finish the task put in front of me. 

I wonder if it’s my aging brain (trying to keep it active with those memory games on my ipad), my lack of set schedule, the weather,  or maybe the kids being home.  I mean I write about the importance of keeping a set menu and shopping with a list!  How is it that my refrigerator is empty and we are ordering out *gasp* more than ever?  I am actually hungry as I write this at my daughter’s speed school! 

I never want to wish for Fall because that means Summer will be over. 

But I am hurting for some semblance of a schedule. 

I guess I don’t hate schedules like I thought I did. 

Deep breath ... two teenage girls in the house ... money being spent like crazy ... not much time for my husband and I to do date nights ... vet bills, dental bills, soccer teams, and the list goes on.  But you know what?  It’s all going to be ok ... I am grateful for the craziness.  Maybe not at this moment, but I am very thankful to have a family who makes me happy and proud most of the time.  I am in love with my furry best friend who is showing signs of aging lately, I am grateful we have two cars to shuttle around our busy kids, and I am grateful we get to spend a lot of time in our cars catching up with each other as we go to the events.   That’s what I’ll remember when they’re gone.  Not my lack of cooking meals this summer or keeping the house presentable.

I know so many people going through the never-ending challenges of raising a family and are strapped financially, emotionally (did I mention I am the mother of two teenage girls?) and just plain tapped out.

My only thoughts right now are be grateful for what you have right now, at this moment.  Look around you.  Where are you right now?  What makes you happy right now? 

 There are always things we would like to be better.  It’s how you deal with them that give you the strength to pull ahead and not fall behind and feel lost.  Gratitude journals make it simple to ground yourself and put it out there that you’re happy, even if this day is not the easiest.

Ok, thank you for listening.  I will go home and make a shopping list and get some food back in the house.  Sometimes a good meal does wonders for everyone.  And maybe a glass of wine ;)

At least that’s what I am expecting.

Be Well,
Krista

**Keep an eye out for my newly designed website in the near future.  I do have my program for 30 days of meal planning and shopping lists available at your convenience!  I did the planning for you - you just have to test them out with your family!

Balsamic Watermelon Feta Salad

Balsamic Watermelon Feta Salad

Easiest salad on earth for a sweet boost of energy!

My family loves watermelon.  This simple summer fruit has so many benefits besides tasting good!

For the athletes in your house, the easy to digest watermelon is the greatest recovery snack after workouts.  Rich in amino acids these chunks of sweetness help with sore muscles and recovery time.  L-citruline is rich in nitric oxide oxide, a gas that widens blood vessels which help in removing lactic acid build up. 

Balsamic Watermelon Feta Salad                    

Ingredients:
fresh watermelon cut into chunks
balsamic glaze (or similar dressing) *
fresh mint finely chopped
crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Combine the watermelon, mint and feta cheese.
Sprinkle a few drops of the balsamic glaze over the top.
Toss gently.
Enjoy!


A huge thank you goes out to the CVS Physicians Assistant who told me about this salad!  We were exchanging foodie ideas and she brought this up.  I went home and threw it together.  Just a nice side to make when you have so much watermelon you don’t know what to do with it! 

*I use the balsamic glaze available at Trader Joe’s.  A few drops are full of flavor!

Enjoy!

Krista